Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 535 



Arevalo y Baca in his ' Aves de Espana/ Madrid (1887), 

 says that the Willow Wren remains through the spring and 

 summer in the centre and north of the Peninsula. 



If so, it may be possible that a few may be found also in 

 the higher and cooler mountainous regions of Portugal, 

 though I much doubt it. 



Arevalo y Baca also says that Mr. Vayreda assures him 

 that some Willow Warblers pass the winter at Gerona near 

 rivers and streams. If anywhere in Spain, it might be 

 found to nest in Galicia or on the slopes of the Asturian 

 mountains. 



The ChifFchafF is found at Oporto all the year round, and 

 has frequently nested during May in the lower branches of 

 the box bushes in my small wood. 



The eggs are like those described by Capt. Lynes as laid 

 by the Gibraltar Chiffchaff, and I believe it to be the same 

 bird. The violet shell-marks are wanting. They do not at 

 all resemble in colouring the Chiffchaft'^s egg, figure 4, 

 Plate 36, in Hewitson^s ' Eggs of British Birds. ^ 



I have three eggs from Coimbra. Of these two are spotted 

 with small dark brownish-red spots, and more thickly so at 

 the larger end, while on the third egg the small spots are 

 more evenly distributed. 



They are quite different in marking from the eggs of the 

 Willow Wren, which, as a boy, I used to find in England, 

 though the colour is somewhat similar. 



I have seen the Chiffchaff at Oporto in every month of 

 the year. It begins to utter its short song in the first or 

 second week in Eebruary, and, speaking from memory, 

 it sounds like chip-chip-chip-chip, iveet, wit. Curiously 

 enough, since I read Capt. Lynes^s article in April, I have 

 not heard one sing. It continues its song through the 

 summer, and I have heard it occasionally also in August 

 and November. 



Unfortunately this bird has not nested this year in my 

 wood, though it frequented my garden this last winter and 

 spring. 



I heard the ChifFchaff's song in June at Caldelas de Tuy 



